The moon moves up close to the bright planet Mars this weekend. The two are closest on Sunday night and both are in the zodiacal constellation Taurus. The full moon on Sunday is called the Cold Moon by the Old Farmer’s Almanac.

Mars is a centerpiece of this holiday season. The red planet starts the evening close to the horizon and later appears high in the sky, brighter than all the stars in the night sky. The red planet is in opposition, the closest it has been to the Earth in at least two years.

First Day of Winter

The thermometer has gone down into the teens. Nights are long. Snow has fallen on the ground. Ice has formed on the Island’s freshwater ponds and even along the edge of some of the Island’s coastal ponds.

Winter arrives after the fact tomorrow at 1:08 a.m. It is almost entirely an astronomical event, as we’re already there in every way.

Daylight is down to just a little more than nine hours long, though this will change in the weeks ahead.

Morning Planets

The bright planet Venus appears low in the southeastern sky before sunrise. Venus is in the zodiacal constellation Libra.

For those who rise early, look high in the eastern sky for the ringed-planet Saturn, now in the zodiacal constellation Leo.